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A likely reason why Kennard appeared in all 16 games a season ago was because the team limited his time on the field. The 2014 fifth-round pick took 47.8 percent of the defensive snaps.

But don’t let the reduction of his role completely fool you. Kennard finished the season with a 79.1 grade courtesy of Pro Football Focus and was among the league’s best 4-3 outside linebacker in tackling efficiency. In fact, only Seattle Seahawks linebacker K.J. Wright was better.

Kennard recorded a career-high 61 tackles in 2016, and 40 of those were solo tackles — also a career high. The 26 year old also added four stuffs, one pass defensed, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery and one sack.

As a result of Kennard’s defensive snap percentage and on-field proficiency, he triggered a bonus via the Proven Performance Escalator (PPE) for the 2017 season. Accordingly, his yearly salary was boosted from $690,000 to $1.797 million.

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The bonus may seem significant for a players taking less than 48 percent of all defensive snaps, but if Kennard continues to play the way he had in 2016, the Giants will have absolutely no issue with him earning a raise.

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